A Fusion of Meat and Metal
by Makuta-Tobi
Summary: As Samus is called into the Galactic Federation to justify her actions on the Biologic Space Laboratories, an old foe sparks a need for a field test of Samus' new capabilities
1. Total Fusion

I hate when other people work on my suit. It's not just a habit I've formed. I know the inner workings of my Power Suit more than anyone alive today; fine tuning it is something I've perfected over the years, I know every inch of this suit better than even the last Chozo that handled it, I bet. But now, it's like a whole different machine.

I reach out to touch the orange, flesh like material stretched over the suit, and it feels warm. It seems to almost leap off the armour and conform to my touch, like an animal attracted to the heat of my skin. The composite underneath is so similar to the suit I used to wear, but it has changed, evolved in a way that I can't quite describe. The suit stands rigid in its cradle at the back of my gunship, but staring at it makes it appear to breathe, and I can't tell if it's the gentle ululations of the ship's drive core, or the stress wearing down on me. It had only been a few hours sine I escaped the BSL, and the adrenaline that had coursed through my body, as well as the chemicals pumped into my body through my suit, were finally wearing off, and the adventure that had lasted only a few days was finally coming to an end.

I looked over to the alien creatures sleeping nearby, and felt a surge in my gut. A hunger, unlike anything I had ever felt before. Ever since arriving on the BSL, I had felt a strange hunger, and every time I consumed an X Parasite through my suit, the hunger was quelled momentarily, before coming back even stronger than before. And now, I felt insatiable. It wasn't the hunger you have when you're in the field with no rations, or when you're alone on a planet as a child with nowhere to go, no, this hunger was powerful, and all encompassing, it was a driving force, but not for need of sustenance. I couldn't explain it to myself, let alone to anyone else.

I pushed the thought aside and tried to focus on my arm cannon, lifting it and hitting a switch on the inside, which opened up a diagnostics panel. Once on my ship, the weapons were disabled, and red lines crossed out each icon. I could see the various beam details, the missile information, everything seemed okay. There were no issues I had to focus on there, though I now had to figure out how to remove the Ice and Burst missile properties from my weapons systems. The data had been downloaded into a central computer, but it would be buried, and with my own DNA having overwritten the deadly susceptibility to cold the Metroid vaccine had granted me, I no longer needed to rely on heavy weapons in favour of the Ice Beam.

Scrolling through pages of data on the small screen near my feet, I tried to find what I needed, when I heard a ping from nearby. I looked up and saw the purple camera, like an unblinking eye, had lit up and was focusing on me.

"I just got some new information from Federation Command," Adam said in his drone computer voice. It made my stomach turn, to know he was just some AI now, a great man now confined to a machine, with memories that were touched, thoughts he was fed, he was just a part of the ship now, and not even a real person. Not the man I knew. Not anymore.

"What do they want now?" I asked, turning my attention back to my screen.

"They want answers. More than that, they want details that I'm not at liberty to discuss. A lot happened on the station. Samus, they're court-martialling you."

My heart dropped at those words. Court-martial, a trial for military damage, war crimes even. If they considered anything I had done on that station to be this serious, despite their own wrong-doings, things could end badly.

"They can't do that, I was well within my parameters of doing the job," I began, balling my fists and standing to my full height. The camera continued to eye me, and I could see the lens focus behind the glass.

"It appears they disagree," Adam spoke as softly as his mechanized vocoder could, "because this is a serious matter. They have placed an order onto this ship, we are not to make any stops, and will dock with the nearest Federation base ASAP. This is bad, Samus. They could terminate your partnership with the government, or revoke your Hunter license. If worst comes to worst, they could even take your suit."

"What?!" I shouted, and the Etecoons and Dachoras raised their heads in alarm at my raised voice, "They can't do that! It's considered Chozo tech, which means that they have no jurisdiction, it's ancient and it can't be taken away from me! Those are the rules!"

"I wish it were that simple, but it appears they applied a loophole. Once the suit was infected, and the experimental surgery began, enough of the suit had been replaced, adjusted, or otherwise tampered with to allow it to fall under a new category; joint technology operations. Essentially, they own half of the design now, if not more, and can enforce that at any time."

I had to unclench my jaw, I could feel it locking up. I wouldn't let anyone get a hold of this suit. I was as much a part of it as it was of me, and in the wrong hands, it could end up being extremely dangerous. No, there was no way I was going to let that happen, not without a fight, not without the Federation prying it from my cold, dead hands.

The room felt hot, suddenly. Like a rage that I couldn't squash down had enveloped me. It wasn't until Adam said something that I realized what had happened.

"Why did you call your suit?" he asked. I turned my head back to the computer console and raised an eyebrow quizzically. I hadn't called my suit. But I looked down at my hands and saw one was wrapped in the orange claws and the other in the dark green of my Power Suit, and I was struck with a realization.

My Zero Suit was an extension of my Power Suit, an inner skin meant to be worn by the user that would allow the armour to be called to them in a specific radius, the armour could teleport and then form around the user. But it was a mental call, and one that took training to perform. Even now, my mind needed to be clear, needed to be set only on the Suit in order to call it to me. I hadn't thought about anything but protecting what was mine, and here I was, wrapped in armour that pulsed with every breath I took.

With shaky hands, I reached up and touched a small plate on my upper chest. There was a hissing sound, and the organic membrane seemed to shift to allow the panels to open, and I was able to step out of the armour. The moment my feet left the foot pads, it closed back up, like a zipper on an old jacket. Hesitantly, I turned around, but before I could react, I realized my mistake.

Something stabbed into me, into my body, my soul, my very being. I felt like hot magma was flowing down my spine, filling my body, and the pain was intense, but it wasn't just pain, it was fulfillment. It was only for a brief moment, but the never ending hunger subsided, and I felt more like myself than I had in days. And suddenly it was over. I turned back to where my armour had stood behind me, but it was nowhere to be seen. I looked down at my hands, but they were my own. And once again, Adam's voice sounded worried.

"I suppose we'll have to chalk this up to an unexpected side effect."

"What was that? What side effect?" I couldn't hide the tremble in my voice, or stop the shaking of my hands. Something felt different, off. It wasn't wrong, just uncomfortable. And I couldn't figure out what it was.

"It appears the suit has bonded to you. Physically, in a way that your old suit never was. Perhaps it is a side effect of the baby Metroid imprinting on you. Not just as a mother, but down to its very DNA. The suit is, after all, half Metroid. Perhaps..." Adam paused for several long seconds, and I urged him along with a hand gesture.

"Sorry, I was running a diagnostic. The sensors on the ship are crude, but I still ran a scan. Right now, I am detecting two distinct life signs n the exact spot where you're standing. The suit has bonded to you physically, and it is, in fact, alive. Somehow."

I didn't need to hear anymore. It was a ridiculous statement, but it explained a lot. My entire body had been effected by the Metroid DNA, why not my suit? I was no longer human, and my suit was no longer a techno-organic piece of Chozo engineering. We were Metroids, in our own right, the last of their kind, and this would change the playing field much more than any argument I could have made to the Galactic Federation.

"Alright Adam," I said, approaching the helm of my ship, "We're setting course for the nearest Federation base. Calculate the approach, and let's show them just how important my actions were."

"You got it, Lady," Adam said. I felt the drives kick up, and the endless expanse of space whisked past. I was ready for a war.


	2. The Trial of the Millenia

Docking with the nearest Federation ship wasn't as easy as I hoped it would be. First and foremost, the nearest ship was less a ship, and more a sprawling city, a central beacon of civilization in an otherwise empty arm of the galaxy. This meant that getting landing clearance was time-consuming, as all the proper channels had to be addressed and approved. Bureaucracy moves like molasses, even out here. But even this was slower than I anticipated. It took me several moments to realize exactly why.

A large Federation ship was docked near the aft of the station, flanked by a smaller battle cruiser. A military vessel, and a ship as fancy as that one could only mean that I was going to be dealing with big names; of course, there's no way they would have sent anything else to deal with a problem they deemed heavy enough to order a civilian to court martial. Two fighters buzzed my ship and flew in the direction of the cruiser.

 _No doubt making sure I'm not trying to cause any trouble_ , I thought to myself. _Taking extra precautions because now they perceive me as a threat. I wonder what it was that made them change their minds._

My monitor beeped and a clearance code was displayed across the screen, with docking instructions and a message that read " **ALL WEAPONS MUST BE SURRENDERED AT LANDING.** " I wonder what they consider a weapon. I guided my ship towards the appropriate dock and began my landing procedure. My ship entered through a tunnel of sorts that traveled into the underbelly of the station, and I came to a large clearing. A wide pad was spread out with landing cradles positioned around the outer edge of it. None of the cradles were occupied, which meant the station was empty, or they were reserving this dock specifically for me.

As I set the automatic landing procedures to begin and my ship started its touchdown, I could see three soldiers in Federation armour standing near my cradle. An escort, how lovely. I made sure my uniform was in order and checked my pony tail for any lose strands. I then unholstered my stun pistol and waited for my ship's lift to activate. I descended from the interior of my personal vessel into the cold atmosphere of the dock, and scanned each of the soldiers in front of me.

"I'm armed," I said, raising my hands above my head, pistol face down in one of them. It was unbecoming, but I couldn't risk starting any fights before I had done anything yet.

"Secure the weapon," the man in back said. One of the soldiers nodded and approached me slowly while the other trained his weapon on me. I was being considered armed and dangerous. This wasn't some normal court martial, I was being scrutinized by men in uniform with guns, this was a dangerous game. I surrendered my stun pistol without issue, and the man in the back held up a portable scanner. He waited several moments until a green light on the side lit up, confirming that I was, indeed, without any further weapons, and he gestured to his two comrades to lower their weapons.

"Miss Aran, my name is Sergeant Torr, I'm here to escort you to your hearing," the man in the back said without missing a beat. "We're sorry for the wariness, but it's just protocol."

He was lying through his teeth, that much I knew. During my time in the Federation, there was no protocol for meeting a civilian with an armed response without just cause. I knew I had to get to the bottom of all of this. I smiled, a fake grin I had developed over all these years, and nodded in appreciation.

"I just hope we can get all of this sorted quickly," I said. Digging information out of Torr was my first objective. "Unfortunately, I'm still not completely sure why I was called here to begin with."

"Sorry, ma'am, but I'm not aware of that information, either. I'm just following orders. Please, this way." We began walking towards the main lift that took us back into the station proper, away from the landing pad. If Torr was telling the truth, then he wouldn't be of much help.

"Will I at least be able to get a drink before we begin?" I asked.

"Unfortunately, due to the urgency of the situation, ma'am, the hearing is set to begin immediately."

That threw me for a loop. The drink question had been the most sincere thing I had said since I arrived, but knowing that I was not being given any opportunity to make heads or tails of my scenario meant they were going to try and railroad me. I had to think, fast, if I wanted to learn what was going on.

The lift stopped and I was ushered out into a deserted hallway. Save for a few office doors, it was relatively empty. We walked down about two-thirds of the way when I was instructed to enter through a set of double doors. As soon as I set foot inside, the other two soldiers posted on either side of the entrance, and Torr closed it behind us.

The room had an interesting atmosphere to it. A large, wooden desk was on a raised dais, with the Federation seal behind it. Sat at the desk were five representatives in suits, four of whom were human, and one Vhozhon. Sat in front of them was a metal table and chair, which looked like it had seen some use, almost like they had been ripped from a police interrogation room. I approached the table, but did not sit. The representatives all looked at each other, before the one in the center cleared his throat, more in a show of attitude than out of necessity.

"It appears we are ready to begin," the man in the center stated. "This committee is gathered here today to evaluate the actions of one Samus Aran, contracted bounty hunter under the Galactic Federation. She has been accused of tampering with evidence, destruction of valuable property, refusal to follow orders, and the destruction of ecosystem of a neutral planet. Do you have anything to say about these charges?"

"Yeah, that's all it a load of bull," I said, my posture not betraying my thoughts. "I was given a mission that I completed, after total evaluation of the situation, and I believe every one of my actions was justified."

"Whether they were justified or not is not the question," another member spoke, "these are serious actions that could be seen as acts of terrorism against the Galactic Federation."

"Acts of terrorism? Forgive me, but I risked my life just trying to find a way off that station, and further risked the lives of everyone in the galaxy if I hadn't done what I did."

"That is not for you to decide," the Vhozhon pointed out.

"It's not a matter of opinion," I retorted, "it's a matter of fact. You should have data about my own infection by those parasites, and it should be clear that after they had escaped their home planet and had access to the intelligence and technology they needed, they would have wiped out half the life in this sector in a matter of days. Those are hard numbers that you can see."

The committee members murmured amongst themselves before the leader turned back to me.

"That may be so, but it still does not excuse the blatant disregard for safety earlier in your mission, even before your reckless decision to cause such widespread damage, which, by the way, is not off the table."

I felt the anger burning in the back of my skull, my hands were numb, my stomach twisted, but I tried to keep my face neutral.

"It became clear to me," I enunciated, trying to find the right words to use, "that my safety was not a first priority for the teams in charge of the operation. As is the case on most battlefields, sometimes situations changed and I was required to make split second decisions that could have meant life or death. Obtaining weapons that had been purposefully withheld from me in order to stay alive was more than a simple bout of ignorance for the mission, but was a battlefield decision intended to keep the mission going to see it to completion."

"Miss Aran," a female council member leaned forward in a way that made her neck look like a bird, "as is common now, your chosen profession of Bounty Hunter has made you very well sought-after in the private sector."

"I don't see what this has to do with my case," I said flatly, staring at the woman in hopes she would back down.

"Is it not, then, that you would perhaps obey other masters in your quest for money or power if the opportunity presented itself to you?" My eyes narrowed, I knew exactly what she was getting at, but I wanted to hear it from her mouth. "Could you not have been working two sides of a battle for your own gain? Or working for an enemy force that was intending on causing damage to the stability of this Federation?"

"If you have a point, ma'am, I ask that you reach it," I insisted through clenched teeth.

"I'll get right to it, then. Were you working for someone else during this operation that made you cause such widespread destruction in a short amount of time, in order to cause either damage to the Galactic Federation, or to the research that was being conducted on the station? For a group such as the Zebesians?"

I could barely control the words that flew out of my mouth at the accusation. "I have been under contract with the Federation for years, not out of a lust for money or power, but out of integrity. I believe in the Federation, but I don't believe in their practices. Just having been met with an armed guard detail upon my arrival is proof enough that I'm right. I would never betray the people that I care about most for any reason, especially not for the lowly pirates that have taken so much, from me, from this whole damn galaxy!" I saw one of the members open his mouth, but I cut him off before he could continue.

"And if we're going to be talking about betrayal, how about the galactic betrayal that was occurring on the BSL, with the mass production of banned bioweapons?"

"I beg your pardon?" the Vhozhon tried."

"Metroids, in the hundreds, in a special wing of the facility, closed off and contained. This is not the first time the Federation has attempted to clone these things, despite the numerous reports, many of which I have personally collaborated with, that show the dangers posed. The fact that I was personally sent to eliminate the remaining Metroids on the planet, only to have the same council that called for their extermination vote on rebuilding their numbers as a use as weapons, shows just how much betrayal they have caused to the whole of the galaxy."

I awaited a response, and was sure that I had shut them up, when the lights in the room flickered. It was only for a moment, but it shouldn't have happened to begin with. Then I felt the room shake. The station's shields would have prevented any large asteroids from hitting, there's no way this was a collision. The next shake sent the Federation seal on the back wall crashing to the ground, and one of the council members brought up a hologram that was set directly to the bridge.

"What the hell is going on up there?" she demanded.

"We're under attack!" came the frantic response. "Multiple ships have appeared from subspace and are firing on us. Fighters have knocked out external communications!"

"Give us a view of the attackers," the woman with the hologram insisted. The view on her desk shifted from a scene of chaos on the bridge, to a shot of three large ships outside, moving to form a blockade around us. The ships were all different, but they all had a similar style, with jagged edges and curved bodies. I felt the breath catch in my throat, and I hoped I was wrong, but the sight of multiple fighter craft flying past the view told me all I needed. Fat bodies with long tails trailing behind them like tadpoles swimming through space.

Pirates.

"We need to find a way to get communications back online, now," said Torr, who stepped forward for the first time since my hearing began, "or else we're gonna die real fast."

"Let me go out," I said, turning to the council, "I'm more of an asset to you than anything right now."

There was a pause, and then the leader spoke. "Fine, but you are to stay in constant communication with us, and we will be monitoring your actions."

"Just point me to where I need to be," I said, unbuttoning my uniform and tossing it on the table. I pulled on my Zero Suit's gloves and made sure they were tight to my skin.

"You'll need to get to the engineering deck to check the damage first, and then we can figure out how to proceed from there," Torr said.

From my body, the chitinous form of my armour took shape. To anyone else, it might be disgusting, or terrifying, or any number of emotions, but right now, to me, it was the most natural feeling in the world. The orange membrane grew over the suit and tightened, pulling it all together. The spikes on my left forearm grew from the suit, and I could feel the claws on my hands and feet coming into shape as well. My head was enveloped by the helmet, it wrapped around me like a cocoon, and the visor lit up from the inside. I could see everything so clearly now. And I felt that hunger. For battle, for victory, for life. And something else.

"Let's get moving then," I said.


	3. Pressing Defense

I followed Torr out of the hearing room and back into the hallway, raising my cannon and wrapping my left hand around it to steady my arm.

"If they're going to be entering, it will mostly likely be through the hangar bays, those areas aren't heavily guarded. Our forces are most likely scrambling to intercept, but in such a chaotic attack, I doubt we will be able to meet them with enough force," he said, dropping his visor down over his face.

"First thing's first, I'm going to need access to a station terminal, one with connections to the central mainframe," I scanned the hallway and saw a few people in suits and nicer clothes than I'd care for scrambling out of the rooms and fleeing, likely towards a safe room.

"Why's that?" Torr was skeptical, and I could see why. I was supposed to be under watch for possible treason, so gaining access to the central computer was a big risk for him, but there wasn't time to play games.

"My ship can wirelessly access computer systems, but he is unable to transmit to me directly, if I can get him access to even basic systems, it will be of great use, he can keep us appraised on everything in short order," my blunt response seemed to satisfy him. Torr didn't seem the kind to mistrust me. He was a soldier, not a bureaucrat, he knew what had to be done in battle, knew what choices were the most obvious. While the council that had come to meet me was scrutinizing every minute detail about me and how I operated, the only thing the man in front of me cared about was keeping people safe, doing his job, and getting the scum that was attacking us off the station. Torr nodded in the direction that the people I had seen scrambling had run off to.

"There's a computer station over there that has full admin permissions. I have to tell you, though, if you try anything funny, I will not hesitate to put a bullet in you."

I smirked under the mask, and hoped he could at least feel my expression. "I wouldn't have it any other way," I nodded.

The two of us went in the direction of the computer terminal, each taking a separate side of the hallway and checking down our respective corners for any motion. He waved his hand as we both relaxed at the sight of empty corridors, and I followed him down the path. A door ahead of us slid open when we approached, which was a little jarring, as the past several days had seen me opening doors with energy beams, and my mind was still stuck on that. But Torr didn't seem to notice and he led me down a side corridor. The hallway opened up into a room that was almost as wide as the conference room I had been having my meeting in, with a few computer terminals lining the outer edge of the walls. Many of them were flashing with warning signs or had blank screens altogether. I assumed each of these had a specific purpose, but I wasn't bothered by them. I made my way to the largest terminal in the center of all the others, and typed in my access code. The screen blinked and opened my personal file. At least they hadn't revoked that access.

My left hand flew across the keyboard as I punched in a series of codes, then I used the large cursor wheel to bring the arrow to an icon that represented my ship.

"Adam, you there?" There was silence for a moment, but the camera on the side of the terminal faded to a dark purple and turned to look at me.

"Need something already, Lady?" Adam asked, pensively. I ignored Torr's sounds of confusion at our interaction.

"I need full map schematics of the station, highlight damaged areas or areas with large amounts of Space Pirate signatures."

"So that's what's going on," Adam's voice held only a hint of emotion, but I could tell he was concerned. His memories may not be whole, but he certainly knew the dangers posed to a civilian station under attack by Pirates.

"I'll get that data downloaded for you immediately. I'll also engage the active camouflage on the ship. The weapon systems may be disengaged, but at the very least they won't be able to find it."

"I appreciate it. I'll be sure to keep in touch as often as possible, if something urgent is happening, flash the running lights on the floor and I'll make my way to a computer to find you."

"All right, the data is ready for you. You can access it from this computer here," a terminal down the row to my left lit up. "I'll try and keep you appraised of anything happening. And Samus?" I stopped only two steps from the map terminal and turned back to him, "Don't die out there."

His words sent chills up my spine. Of course I wouldn't die, I couldn't, but hearing his concern gave me pause. I responded with a thumb's up and I saw the camera eye go back to its blank red stare again. I stepped up to the terminal and a small port opened under the keyboard. I inserted my cannon and felt the clamps grab onto the metal. Pins inside the mechanism connected, and the computer on my suit downloaded the map data. I blinked to activate the map on my visor, and brought up all the information I could. Torr had been right about the Pirates using the hangars as entry points, three of the four had been accessed, save the one I had landed in near the bottom. I could see some damage to living areas, but it was minor, and no doubt there was already some evacuation occurring. There was a large congregation of Pirates in the central hallway, it seemed, making their way to the bridge, and a smaller detachment was nearing the engine room. If they could gain access to those two, they would have control of the station.

"We need to get to the engine room, there's light resistance, and if we can hold that, they won't be able to move us anywhere. Even if they take control of the main systems, without the ability to navigate, we can control the situation."

Torr nodded in agreement, and brought his hand up to the side of his helmet, activating his communicator. "Field team Echo 3, sending coordinates, rendezvous in the access tunnels." He brought his hand down and brought up his rifle, and I noticed the subtle shift of his hand that indicated he was flicking off the safety. He hadn't even done that already? He must have trusted me more than he let on.

"Space Pirates are methodical," I said, taking point and escorting us towards the tunnels he had ordered his team to meet us in. "They'll have patrols, probably multiple units, so keep your head on a swivel. They can, and will, use vents, ducts, or just crawl on walls and ceilings if they think they can get the drop on you." I didn't hear Torr's response, but I hoped it was one of affirmation. My mind was racing, and the hallways in front of us seemed to stretch out into infinity. Was it just dumb luck that they were attacking here right after I landed? Were they targeting me? And if so, how could they even know I was here? A million questions blew through my mind, and clouded my vision, so much so that I didn't see the Pirate almost run into me while rounding a corner.

The two of us almost collided, and I heard it hiss, but I don't remember what my thought process was. My body seemed to move on its own, instinctively. I struck the Pirate with my right elbow, knocking it back just a step or two, and swung my left arm at it. There was a sickening sound, and suddenly the Pirate was laying on the ground, the armour plating at its neck having been slashed open. I looked down at it, and observed its body for a moment. This one had mottled flesh covered in black armour, with large curved hooks extending past its hands. My eyes scanning over it happened to catch something and I looked down, but not at the body at my feet, but my left arm. The spikes that had come from my forearm, that I once assumed were somehow intended to assist in climbing, were longer than I remembered, and dripped with an odd coloured blood. I watched them shrink back down to their original size, knowing I wasn't imaging it, and then looked down at the corpse again.

"Come on," Torr pointed his rifle down the hallway it had come from, "there's got to be more, right? And that's where we're headed anyways." I nodded, the only response I could muster, and stepped over the fallen alien. It was gruesome, but I didn't mind. I had killed plenty of Space Pirates over my career, this was no different. But perhaps the method was. I was never a fan of melee combat, I knew I could do it, but I preferred to keep my foes at a distance. Yet the deadly precision my automatic response had presented was more than enough to confound me. In any other scenario, I surely would have backed off and fired my weapons, yet I didn't.

I tried to clear my head by focusing on what was in front of us, a darkened hallway with a few busted in doors. There had to be more Pirates ahead, and I readied my cannon. We started our trek through unfamiliar territory once again, my eyes darting from left to right and back again, searching for danger, or civilians, if any remained alive here. A natural curve in the hall came up and we rounded yet another corner, coming into a wider area with multiple paths branching off from it. A seating area and a few plants were in the center of the room, and a few Pirates were lingering in front of us.

They reacted almost immediately and turned, screeching in anger, one of them barking what were certainly orders to the others, and they opened fire with cannons mounted on the backs of their wrists. The two of us dove in separate directions, Torr taking cover behind a planter box and peeking out to fire a few shots. I rolled on my shoulder, coming up in a crouch and aimed my cannon, braving my left arm against it to steady, I fired off three shots. Each one was based on the Federation technology built into my new suit, three spinning, crystalline beams coming out with each shot and flying towards the enemies. One of them was struck twice, its entire right side freezing as it was sent flying back, the third shot hit a second Pirate in the head, and though it wasn't enough to freeze it solid, its face still showed signs of severe frostbite almost immediately. The frostbitten Pirate and another turned their attention to me, while the fourth was focusing on pinning Torr behind his cover.

I rolled my body down, but the sensation of my body being transmitted into energy didn't come, instead it was like my muscles and bones were stretched and folded over themselves, and I was no longer a conscious ball of armour and energy, but like an insect rolling away from danger. I didn't think much on it, my Morph Ball spun away from their shots, and I charged at them. They danced as I circled their feet, moving behind the cover of an overturned table and popping back out into my full size, I charged up a beam and popped out, launching it at the one Pirate that had been ignoring me. Its body was flash frozen instantly, and I readied my cannon to finish it off. I activated my missile launcher, and watched one burst from the end of my arm, and for a split moment, I had forgotten that the missile also had ice properties. It impacted the frozen Pirate, and its body was smashed, but the explosion also froze a large spot on the ground. I reminded myself that I had to be careful while using missiles here, especially with the implementation of those Ice Spreaders that could freeze an entire room.

The remaining Pirates screamed and came at me, but Torr was using my own plan on them now, he came out from his hiding spot and fired several shots at the charging Pirates' backs. The one nearest him fell, and when the second turned, he fired a single shot that pierced the Pirate's skull. The two collapsed at the ground, one sliding on the icy patch my missile had left behind.

"Your missions always this exciting?" Torr asked with a half-hearted grin, checking the ammo on his rifle.

I shrugged, "This is actually pretty tame," I said.

"Well, let's see if we can't change that, shall we? There should be plenty more to do in the engine room."

The two of us turned to the hallway that would take us towards our destination, and kept moving forward.


End file.
